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Lincoln Elementary School

Q: Is Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Lincoln Elementary School ranks 1012 th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

1012^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Lincoln Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Sterling, Illinois, serving grades 3-5 with a total enrollment of 305 students. The school is part of the Sterling CUSD 5 district, which is ranked 483 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lincoln Elementary School has faced significant challenges in academic performance, with proficiency rates in ELA and Math for all grades at 46.4% and 41% respectively in the 2024-2025 school year, compared to the state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%. The school's performance has been particularly low in 5th grade Math, with only 23.1% of students proficient or better, compared to the state average of 36.5%. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching 26.3% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Comparing Lincoln Elementary School to nearby schools, the Washington Elementary School, also part of the Sterling CUSD 5 district, has performed slightly better on the IAR assessments. However, both Lincoln and Washington Elementary Schools have lower performance compared to the state averages, suggesting a broader challenge within the district. In contrast, Montmorency CCSD #145, a school outside of the Sterling CUSD 5 district, has outperformed Lincoln Elementary School on the IAR assessments, particularly in ELA.

277

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,059

Per pupil spending ?

70.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1501 E 6th St
Sterling, IL 61081-2771

(815) 625-1449

District: Sterling CUSD 5

Students who attend Lincoln Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Challand Middle School
High:	Sterling High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.8%

Hispanic:

31.0%

Two or more races:

7.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Lincoln Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 55th percentile in 2015 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Illinois median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg37%

Illinois avg44%

1,012^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Sterling CUSD 5

483^rd of 811Sterling CUSD 5 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	49.3	1012 of 2056	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	1003 of 2067	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.2	1185 of 2077	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	1275 of 2082	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.6	1060 of 1948	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	1123 of 2086	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	1008 of 2037	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.1	964 of 2044	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.1	1149 of 2046	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.9	928 of 2052	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	45.8	1189 of 2093	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.2	937 of 2167	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.4	644 of 2166	70.3%	★★★★☆
2011	70.1	730 of 2147	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	77.7	446 of 2139	79.1%	★★★★☆
2009	77.4	457 of 2120	78.4%	★★★★☆
2008	76.1	495 of 2092	76.3%	★★★★☆
2007	68.6	759 of 2095	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.4	688 of 2086	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.8	649 of 2022	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	65.5	827 of 2030	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	56.2	1084 of 2020	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	36.9	629 of 1049	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	597 of 886	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	512 of 907	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	843 of 1942	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.7	903 of 1942	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.3	1071 of 1957	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.8	1155 of 1970	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.9	1058 of 1680	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.5	1060 of 2019	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	921 of 1964	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	45.4	512 of 982	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.0	410 of 959	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	535 of 970	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	530 of 954	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.9	215 of 742	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	47.4	464 of 955	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.6	381 of 938	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	57.0	705 of 1800	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	645 of 1793	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.4	1040 of 1808	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	1051 of 1763	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	636 of 1514	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	817 of 1816	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.3	620 of 1765	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	1103 of 1947	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	1017 of 1959	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	1184 of 1984	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.4	1208 of 1977	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	928 of 1707	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	1159 of 2019	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	1029 of 1972	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	800 of 1292	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	889 of 1195	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	711 of 1156	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	897 of 1113	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	420 of 640	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.7	774 of 1194	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	480 of 763	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	1035 of 1389	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.6	868 of 1392	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.6	1056 of 1419	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	1217 of 1425	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.7	1046 of 1308	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	1062 of 1462	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	1060 of 1463	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)57th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2025)40th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)38th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts46%-7 vs state

Mathematics41%~ state avg

Science35%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lincoln Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)							IAR Mathematics (2025)							% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Pneumococcal (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	3-5	1501 E 6th St	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-1449	277	22	12.5	70.4%	160 (57.8%)	6 (2.2%)	86 (31.0%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.9%)	49.3	1012^th of 2056 public elementary schools	50.8%		46.9	1003^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	51.5%	9	34.7		46.8	49.4	43.7				46.4	68.8	36.6	23.1				41.0	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.4			$16,059	$1,655	$14,404
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	806 E Le Fevre Rd	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-6402	450	30	14.9	69.6%	246 (54.7%)	10 (2.2%)	166 (36.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.0%)								(n/a)																	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	25.2		$15,073	$1,655	$13,418
Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1510 E 25th St	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-5755	407	30	13.5	55.3%	233 (57.2%)	10 (2.5%)	134 (32.9%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)								(n/a)																	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	15.1		$16,538	$3,034	$13,504
Washington Elementary School	Public	3-5	815 W Le Fevre Rd	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-2372	394	32	12.3	60.9%	225 (57.1%)	7 (1.8%)	132 (33.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.3%)	49.7	1007^th of 2056 public elementary schools	51.0%		54.1	838^th of 2067 public elementary schools	59.5%	169	37.4		46.7	52.2	39.5				46.3	48.9	36.6	39.8				41.8	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	97.7	98.7			$14,586	$1,655	$12,931
Merrill Elementary School	Public	3-5	600 4th Ave	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Rock Falls Education Service District 13	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-4634	258	20	13.1	77.9%	168 (65.1%)	3 (1.2%)	78 (30.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	38.9	1232^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	40.1%		44	1071^st of 2067 public elementary schools	48.2%	161	28.1		39.3	52.1	40.4				43.4	36.9	45.1	14.6				31.1	96.7	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.7			$15,165	$1,408	$13,757
East Coloma - Nelson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1602 Dixon Rd	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	East Coloma - Nelson CESD 20	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-4400	214	18	11.8	52.8%	156 (72.9%)	1 (0.5%)	49 (22.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	68.6	629^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.4%		43.1	1088^th of 2067 public elementary schools	47.4%	459	52.4	65.2	76.2	56.0	63.6	63.0	54.2	82.6	65.5	61.9	56.0	31.8	25.9	16.7	34.8	37.3	98.6	97.7	97.7	97.7	96.8	97.2	98.6		34.6	$19,859	$1,224	$18,634
Dillon Elementary School	Public	K-2	1901 8th Ave	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Rock Falls Education Service District 13	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-3356	278	21	13.0	78.4%	168 (60.4%)	11 (4.0%)	77 (27.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.2%)								(n/a)																	96.5	97.3	97.3	97.3	95.0	97.3	95.7			$15,174	$1,417	$13,757
Montmorency CCSD #145	Public	K-8	9415 Hoover Rd	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Montmorency CCSD 145	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-6616	209	21	9.9	37.8%	166 (79.4%)	1 (0.5%)	34 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	50.5	998^th of 2056 public elementary schools	51.5%		68.9	569^th of 2067 public elementary schools	72.5%	429	35.7	31.6	65.5	33.3	53.6	40.9	61.5	36.8	49.2	93.1	23.8	34.5	22.7	53.8	42.1	46.6	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2	95.7	96.2	95.7		28.6	$15,555	$880	$14,675
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	2-3	800 4th Ave	Dixon	61021	Lee County	Dixon Unified School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 934-9661	344	25	13.7	58.7%	269 (78.2%)	19 (5.5%)	17 (4.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.5%)								(n/a)			33.7						33.7	48.3						48.3	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	98.0	98.0	97.7			$17,027	$1,479	$15,548
Madison School	Public	4-5	618 Division St	Dixon	61021	Lee County	Dixon Unified School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 934-9662	323	22	14.6	56.0%	253 (78.3%)	19 (5.9%)	16 (5.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	33 (10.2%)	47.7	1044^th of 2056 public elementary schools	49.2%		44.1	1069^th of 2067 public elementary schools	48.3%	25	32.6			47.7	50.9				49.4		42.8	30.6				36.3	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2			$16,351	$1,615	$14,735

Frequently Asked Questions about Lincoln Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Lincoln Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lincoln Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Challand Middle School
High : Sterling High School

What is the racial makeup of Lincoln Elementary School?

Students at Lincoln Elementary School are 58% White, 31% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

What district is Lincoln Elementary School in?

Sterling CUSD 5

Is Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Lincoln Elementary School ranks 1012^th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Lincoln Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 277 students attended Lincoln Elementary School.

Rate Lincoln Elementary School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.